Can conveyer



April 21, 1936. J. E. scr-mim' CAN CONVEYER Filed Aug. lO, 1934 5 Sheets-Sheet l gmc/Now:

:akin famdi .l E. SCHMHDT CAN CONVEYER Apri] 21, 19361 Filed Aug. l0, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mamma s um. m

e fnl www4/1346 April 21, 1936. J. E. SCHMIDT CAN CONVEYER Filed Aug. l0, 1934 Zahn E Schmc'di',

x7 E@ @5MM Patented Apr. 21, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CAN CONVEYER Schmidt, Chicago, Ill., assigner to Contlnental Can Company, Inc., New York, N. Y.,

a corporation oi New York Application August 10, 1934, Serial No.

5 Claims.

Another object is to provide in such a mechanism, a novel actuating device for moving a member to and from alternative positions closing and opening, or opening and closing a way oi' passage for the articles along the conveyer.

A further object is to provide such a mechanism and incorporate device which will be apthe stated or analogous purpose to Various article conveying or feeding apparatuses, such as elevators and cable or gravity runways, where a governing of plural or dividing ways o1' passage is desired, so as to eliminate the need of many diierent kinds of mechanisms for the diiferent requirements of each particular installation.

These and other objects in addition to the general concept and advantages of the invention will be in part rendered obvious and in part more fully disclosed to complete understanding by the following description with reference to the attached drawings, illustrating one practicable embodiment of the same applied to an ordinary type of pass such articles from one processing machine to another.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a side View of a conveyer showing the applied control mechanism in position of operation directing the articles along the normal path of movement;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the mechanism in position of directing the articles along a diierent path of movement;

Fig. 3 is a side view of a diil'erent or modied form of conveyer having the mechanism operatively applied;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional View of the member-actuating device part of the mechanism;

Fig. 4a is a fragmentary view of said device showing one of its parts in a different operative position;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged bottom view of the member-actuating device part of the mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a similarly enlarged side view of a por- 5 tion of said device; and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 1 1 of Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows.

'it may facilitatel understanding to state that the invention is directed to an automatic control 10 the articles themselves. be applied to any type of conveyer or feeder so as 20 is used to move the articles along their path of travel. The articles as shown are cylindrical, the cylindrical same to travel up the guideway. This is a common form of means for conveying articles such as cans upward along runway This conveyer has a branch formed by the gravity runway I0 extending therefrom, which together with the continuing portion of the conveyer provides dividing ways along which the conveyed articles may be directed. Said branch in this instance delivers to a, machine (not shown) which is to be supplied with the articles for operation in a manufacturing process. 'Ihe toward other machines of the manufacturing line, or to some other point of intended delivery.

The articles, in this instance comprising partially made or finished cans I I, are directed along one or the other of the dividing conveyer ways by automatically operable mechanism opening and closing said ways alternately as the branch runway I6 becomes overloaded and relieved of overload in delivery to the machine; the purpose being to prevent a iam in said branch and maintain a regular supply or the articles therein to said machine.

Said automatically operable mechanism, which is controlled by the articles themselves, includes a guide member I2 swung normally across the conveyer to divert the articles into the branch runway, and a sliding plate member I3 normally retracted from over the entrance of said runway to permit the articles to pass thereinto. (See Figs. 1 and 3.) These two members are simultaneously operated to swing and slide respectively to opposite position and relation, with the guide member I2 retracted from across the conveyer arid the plate-member branch runway entrance, so as to open the way for the articles along the continuing portion of the conveyer and close the way to the branch passage (see Figs. member I2 is desirably provided by a bracket I4 on the conveyer, to which it is shown pivoted at I5. Support for the plate member I3 is advantageously provided by a rest plate I6 shown fastened to the conveyer by bolts or clamps I1.

The aforesaid sliding plate member I3 is moved to its positions forward and back by an actuating device composing part of the automatic control mechanism. This device, shown in detail by Figs. 4 to 7, includes a rodIB to one end of s.

which said member is connected, as by a lug I3 having a pin fastening therewith. The other end of said rod extends into a cylinder I9 and carries a piston 20 working therein, which consists in this instance of a leather cup having metal follower heads at opposite sides screwed onto the rod. A block 2| in the end of the cylinder, through which the rod extends thereinto, provides a guide for the rod as well as a closure for the cylinder. This block is advantageously secured in place by screw-bolts 22.

Said cylinder I9 is supported by bracket members 23 on the conveyer, with its longitudinal axis in a common plane with the axis of the slide plate movement. the rod entry thereinto is attached a valve body 24, closing it at that end. Connected between this valve bodyand the outer end of said rod at opposite sides of the cylinder are springs 25, serving to draw and hold the rod normally retracted, with the piston 20 at its inward limit of movement and the slide plate I3 in the latter's retracted position. Accommodation for the connection of these springs is advantageously provided by studs 26 on the sides of the valve body and a cross-bar 21 on the rod (see Fig. 5) the latter being amxed preferably by an adjustable clamp 21B for varying the tension of the springs as required.

The valve body 24 has a passage 28 therein opening into the cylinder for admission of a fluid to impel the rod by action on its piston, so as to advance the slide plate I3 to closing position. This fluid passage, of angular course in this instance, communicates with an introductory pipe 29 connected to said valve body from a source (not shown) of fluid supply. such as compressed I3 advanced over thel 2 and 3). Support for the guide.

On the end of the cylinder opposite air. Extending thereinto from the side of the valve body (see Fig. 7) is an adjusting screw 34 for regulating the volume flow of the fluid therethrough, so as to govern the speed of its impelling action upon the piston. Across said passage 5 within the valve body, a sliding valve 3I moves in a guide slot 32. Said valve has an inlet transverse port 33 registering at both sides with the passage 28 in one position of its operation (see Fig. 4a) and an exhaust L-shaped port 34 registering with said passage only at one-the cylinderside in the other position of its operation (see Fig. 4) the last-named port opening through the valve end into its guide slot which in turn opens to the atmosphere, or to a conductor pipe if-it is desired to reclaim the fluid used. Thus the valve in its alternate positions is adapted to admit the fuel to the cylinder and to exhaust the same therefrom.

The valve just described has its outer end attached to a lever 36, in this instance intermediate the ends of the latter, with allowance for differential movements as by a pin and slot connection indicated at 36. This lever is pivoted at one end to a bracket 31 fastened to the valve body 24, with its portion between the pivot and said connection with the valve preferably constituting the shorter arm thereof. Its other long-arm end is attached by pin and slot connection 33 to a solenoid plunger 33, moving in the core of an electro-magnetic coil 40 which is secured within a suitable housing to the valve body.

Said lever swings inward and outward in movement of the valve 3I as indicated by the full and dotted lines in Fig. 4. Its outward s'wing is limited by a retainer bracket 4I to the position at which the valve brings its exhaust port 34 into register with a part of the passage 23 as shown in Fig. 4, and a spring 42 around the valve, between said lever and a shoulder in the valve body, presses it normally to said position. Its inward swing is limited by a shoulderof the plunger 32 to the position at which the valve brings its inlet port 33 into register with said passage 2l as shown in Fig. 4a, and is occasioned by the energization of the coil 40 drawing said plunger inward. Thus when the valve is moved to its inward position, the compressed air or other huid will be admitted to the cylinder to drive the piston rod outward; and when the valve is moved to its outward position, the piston rod will be retracted by its springs and expel the air from the cylinder.

The aforesaid guide member I2 is swung to its positions forward and back by a similar actuating device, or, as in this instance, simply by an electro-magnetic device 43, also comprising part of the automatic control mechanism (see Figs. 1 to 3). This last named device, shown fastened to the bracket I4 on the conveyer, comprises a coil (not shown) like the coil 4II of the firstnamed device, in the core of which a solenoid plunger 44 moves. The guide member is connected to this plunger by a link 45.

The described actuating devices are connected in an electric circuit, represented by the con- 0| ductor wires 46 and 41 connecting with a power source (see Figs. 1 and 2), for energizing the magnetic coils (40 and like element of 43) and this circuit is governed by a make and break device controlled by the conveyed articles them- 7( selves. Said governing device advantageously comprises a mercury switch 48 applied at the desired point of control, which is located in this instance on the branch runway I0 a short distance from its juncture with the main runway of 7' Vil the conveyer. This switch is mounted on a tilting axis adjacent a controlling member acted upon by the articles on said branch runway. The controlling member shown comprises a pivoted plate 49 in the bottom of the nmway, having connection with a balancing arm 5l on the axis of the switch, by which it is held normally out of ilush with such bottom, that ls, with its free end raised slightly above the runway surface (see Fig. l). In this position the mercury switch breaks and holds the circuit open. However, when said plate is depressed or swung iiush with the runway bottom by a pressure or load, thereby tilting its balancing arm on the switch axis, the switch will be correspondingly tilted so as to close the circuit (see Fig. 2).

The operation of the mechanism will probably be apparent from the foregoing description. In the arrangement shown, it causes the articles or cans advanced along the conveyer to be directed normally, by the guide member l2, into the branch runway I 0 in supply to the machine which is to operate upon them. While thus functioning, the parts are in the positions illustrated in Figs. 1, 3 and 4. Passing one after another over the controlling member 49 in the runway surface, the articles ordinarily have no effect upon said member, due to insuiiicient Weight. However, when, as the result of supply faster than the machine receives them, the articles accumulate back to this member in overload of the runway with several resting upon the member, the combined weight thereof depresses it to operate the switch 48 and close the electric circuit.

With the closing of the circuit, the electromagnet coils 40 and 43 are simultaneously energized so as to draw their respective plungers inward. The drawing of plunger 39 swings the lever 35 in actuation' of the valve 3| to its iiuid admission position, whereupon the fluid under compression from its supply is released to impel the rod I8 from its cylinder and advance the slide plate I3 over `the The drawing of plunger 44 swings the guide member I2 from across the conveyer path. These movements are rapidly performed so as to close the branch runway and open the way to article movement along the continuing part 8* (or 8b) oi the conveyer. While functioning in the latter manner, the parts of the mechanism are in the positions illustrated in Figs. 2, 4a and the dotted line indications of Figs. 3 and 4.

When the weight upon the controlling member 69 is relieved by the articles moving oi of the same so that the switch 49 moves to again open the circuit, the coils 40 and 43 will be deenergized and the parts return to normal position, the rod i 8 being retracted by the recoil springs 25 with an exhausting of the fluid from its cylinder through the exhaust port of valve 3|, and the guide member I2 being readvanced across the conveyer by gravity or a suitable spring.

Thus the mechanism operates automatically, under control of the articles themselves, to direct the articles into one or the other of the dividing conveyer ways according to a condition or circumstance of their supply.

It will be appreciated that this mechanism may be applied to various types of conveyers so as to operate in the same or in diierent ways and for like or diierent purposes. Obviously, it is not limited to conveyers having only two dividing ways, since mere addition or duplication of actuating parts is necessary to control any number branch runway entrance.

of passways as desired. In accommr :iation to diiferent installations the control by the articles may be placed at any point on the conveyer other than that shown, and may be made to depend upon some other condition or circumstance than weight, as for example, size or form. Numerous possibilities of use of the mechanism exist, apart from the particular object of its design, as for instance in the distribution, assortment or grading of manufactures, produce or material. The advantages of the invention will be recognized.

Inasmuch as various changes to suit conditions and requirements can be made in the form, construction and arrangement, with different combinations and subcombinations of parts, without departing from the spirit of the invention, it is not intended to limit the same by the appended claims to the specific embodiment shown and above described.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. An automatic control mechanism for article conveyers, comprising in combination with a conveyer having a dividing way of passage, a movable member normally directing the articles from the main into the dividing way, a second movable member normally opening said way to the articles, and means controlled by the articles them- `selves for moving said members to position for opening the main conveyer way and closing the dividing way when said dividing way becomes overloaded with the articles thereon.

2. An automatic control mechanism for article conveyers, comprising in combination with a conveyer having movable member normally directing the articles from the main into the dividing way, a second movable member normally opening said way to the articles, and means controlled by the articles themselves for moving said members to positions for opening the main conveyer way and closing the dividing way when said dividing way incomes overloaded with the articles and means for au tomatically restoring said members to their original position when the overloading is relieved.

3. An automatic control mechanism for article conveyers,

the articles into the dividing way, a second member movable across the entrance way to close the same, means for operating both of said moving dividing way of passage becomes overloaded with the articles passed thereinto.

4. An automatic control mechanism for article conveyers, comprising in combination with a conveyer having a dividing way of passage, a member movable across the main path of the conveyer to normally direct the articles into the dividing way, a second member movable across the entrance of the dividing way to close the same left normally open, actuating means for moving the ilrst-named member from across the conveyer path, actuating means for moving the second-named member over the dividing way entrance, and means controlled by the articles themselves including a switch in an electric circuit for operating said actuating means so as to move said members to position closing the divida dividing way of passage, aA

ing way and opening the main way of the conveyer when said dividing way becomes overloaded with the articles and means for automatically returning said members to their original position when said overloading is relieved.

5. An automatic control mechanism for article conveyers, comprising in combination with a conveyer having a dividing way of passage, a swinging member, means for normally positioning said member across the main path o! the conveyer so as to direct the articles into the dividing way. a slidable member, means for normally retracting said slidable member trom over the entrance of said dividing way. means including an electro-magnet for swinging the mst-named member out of normal position opening the main path, means including an electro-magnet for slid-l ing the second-named member over the dividing way entrance, an electric circuit in which said electro-magnets are connected, and means on the dividing way oi' passage including a switch oontrolled by the articles themselves tor closing said circuit to energize the magnets into operation oi the first-named means when said dividing way becomes overloaded with the articles and to deenergize the same when the overloading is relieved to permit said members to be moved to normalpositionssoastoagaindirectthearticles into the dividing way.

JOHN l. BCHHIUI'. 

